


Malcolm's Problem

by Warp5Complex_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-22
Updated: 2006-02-22
Packaged: 2018-08-15 23:04:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8076361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp5Complex_Archivist/pseuds/Warp5Complex_Archivist
Summary: Malcolm accidentally causes Trip and John drift apart so the armory officer hatches a plan to bring his captain and his best friend closer together. Spoilers for 2.08 "The Communicator" and 2.09 "Singularity." (01/29/2003)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: It's not necessary to read "Uncertain Love" before reading this story, but it helps.  


* * *

Malcolm Reed had a problem. At first it was just an annoyance. Reed had been properly horrified, of course, after he had wakened from that nightmare caused by the black hole's radiation and had realized what he had done, but the true enormity of the situation didn't hit him until he saw them together on the bridge. 

There they were, standing side by side, looking relaxed and casual, as always, yet they still managed to exude their own aura of competent professionalism that the crew had come to rely on. This was the image of his captain and chief engineer that Malcolm usually carried with him, yet this was the first time that Reed had seen them together since the madness and, much to his distress, other, more erotic images of the couple kept interfering with his thoughts. 

Reed shook his head and tried to force the inappropriate pictures from his mind, but he was totally unsuccessful in this endeavor. When he looked at his captain and commander he didn't see the two men just standing there, having an entirely proper and benign conversation with their first officer, no Malcolm saw images of the two men making love, in various positions, each one more graphic and lurid than the one before. 

Malcolm knew where the source of all these images came from, and why they were so much toward the forefront of his consciousness that he couldn't concentrate on anything else. It was the guilt talking of course. It was the fact that he knew, and they didn't know that he knew that was driving him mad. There was no other alternative now. Malcolm had to come clean, even though this particular confession was going to be, perhaps, one of the most difficult things that he had ever done. Still, there was nothing for it. He simply could not go on this way any longer. Reed sighed, then strengthened his resolve. It was best if he just went ahead and got this unpalatable business over and done with, as soon as possible and Malcolm promised himself that he would see to it immediately after his current shift was over. With the decision made, the conflict within Reed settled and the armory officer was finally able to concentrate on his duties.

* * *

The quiet sounds of a blues melody in motion filtered through the closed door. Trip must be staging a jam session with his harmonica again and Malcolm was loath to interrupt the engineer at his play. After all, Tucker had worked several double shifts this week and now that the man had finally acquired some down time he should be able to enjoy it in peace. Reed had actually turned to go when his common sense grabbed a hold of him firmly by the throat and halted him in his tracks. 

Malcolm had studied enough tactics to recognize a delaying maneuver when he saw it. He didn't want to tell Trip the truth so he'd started making excuses to get himself out of it, but no matter when he confessed, Tucker's compliant life was bound to be shattered, and putting things off was only going to make things worse, not better. So, summoning up all his courage Malcolm returned to Trip's door an quickly rang the bell before he could chicken out again. The music instantly stopped and within seconds Tucker was greeting Reed and inviting him inside. 

"Grab yourself a seat Malcolm." Trip waved the armory officer toward the only chair in the room, the one by his desk, and was just about to make himself comfy sitting on his bed when the tone in Malcolm froze him clear through. 

"If you don't mind, sir, I prefer to stand." Trip held himself in mid-squat for a second while he considered the situation. The straight-laced, oh so proper set to Malcolm's voice gave Tucker an idea what to expect when he turned around, and sure enough, when Trip shifted to sit he found that Enterprise's armory officer was standing at full attention, as if he were facing a precision inspection by an superior officer, and an extremely crabby one by that, rather than visiting one of his best friends on the ship. 

"What's with all the stiff upper lip stuff, Malcolm? Last time I checked my cabin was several light-years away from the nearest parade ground. Why don't you relax yourself a little?" 

Malcolm relaxed himself, not a whit. If anything he tightened up more. "If you don't mind, sir, I'd prefer not." 

"O.... kay." Malcolm hadn't acted this prissy in front of him for a long time. Something was seriously up here, but Trip knew that there was nothing he could do to jostle the armory officer out of it immediately. The best thing was to let Malcolm have his own way, for awhile. He'd let his friend get started on his own, but Trip was more than willing to give the Brit a prod, or a shoulder to cry on, should either, or both be required later. "Whatcha got on your mind, Lieutenant?" 

"Sir. I'm afraid that there is something that I need to confess." 

"Oh?" Of all things Trip had been expecting, a confession wasn't it. Tucker settled back against the pillows a little in order to be more comfortable. This could get interesting. 

"Yes, sir." Malcolm hesitated. Now the moment had come. The moment that would determine whether he would still be the recipient of the engineer's friendship, or would he find himself totally alone once more? Oh well, best to get on with it. There was nothing to be gained by any further delay. "Do you recall when we were all tossed into madness by that black hole's radiation?" 

"How could I forget?" Trip had thought of nothing but the captain's ass ...as it related to his chair that was... for days. Of course, Trip fixating on Archer's behind was nothing new, but Malcolm didn't need to know anything about that. "What about it?" "Well at the time I was more than a little interested in getting my tactical alert up and running." 

"Yeah?" What did all that have to do with him? 

"As you know, when I tried to show you my new protocol in engineering you brushed me off rather severely, and ... well, sir..." Malcolm paused, not quite sure how to phrase it. "Because of your myopic attention to the captain's chair and your lack of interest to my project I became highly suspicious of your actions and somehow the irrational portions of my mind became convinced that you were actively plotting against me." 

Trip didn't track to what Malcolm was saying at first because the conversation dredged up memories of the event. Hot memories of Trip studying the captain's scans over and over again. They had captured the measurements of the captain's body in the most exacting of details, so much so that just recalling them made Trip blush and he had to fight to not embarrass himself in front of his friend. "Sorry, Malcolm, but at the time I had other things on my mind." 

"I know that now." Reed pointed out. "But then I totally believed that you wanted to sabotage my plans, and I convinced myself that I would find proof of my suspicions in your cabin." 

A hint of unease began to tickle at Trip. "You didn't break into my quarters, did you?" 

Suddenly Malcolm found looking at a spot on Trip's carpet to be much more attractive the looking directly into his friends eyes. "I'm afraid that I did." 

That trickle of unease began to intensify into a river of doubt. While he was confident that Malcolm wouldn't have stolen anything, Trip did have a few secrets that he'd just as soon keep private. "Well I'm bettin' that you didn't find any sabotage plans in here." Tucker tried to laugh but it came out as a small, nervous little titter. 

Reed didn't join in. If anything the armory officer just stiffened his stance. "No, sir, but I did find your album." 

"My album?" Trip's voice cracked a little as his river of fear turned into a flood of terror. Tucker had a photo album which he called his "Scrapbook of Memories". It contained pictures from every aspect of his life, including his most personal and erotic mementos. The photos in the front part of the book were innocent enough, but the rear section contained pictures of he and John making love. They had kept their affair a secret from everyone at Starfleet, and from the crew. They didn't think it would really be good for morale, but if Malcolm found out... "Exactly how much of my book did you look through?" 

Now they were at the heart of the matter. Time for the final confession. "I'm afraid looked at it all, sir." 

"Oh, god!" Tucker's internal flood had roared through his brain, leaving nothing but devastation behind. Malcolm had seen the pictures. He now knew about him and John. 

Malcolm correctly read the dismay traveling across Tucker's face and hastened to reassure his friend. "I give you my word, sir, that I will never breathe a word about your relationship with the captain to anyone." 

Malcolm's determined tone cut through Trip's panic a little bit. Okay, Reed knew about them, that didn't really mean that his secret was out. There wasn't anyone on the ship who was more discreet than Malcolm Reed. "I know you won't, Malcolm. I trust you. It's just that Johnny and I have kept our relationship a secret for so long, it's kinda weird to learn that someone actually knows about us now." 

"I realize that sir." Now that the worst was over the stiffness deflated out of Malcolm like a balloon and the armory officer actually wobbled a little on his feet. Trip noticed and waved Reed back into the chair and that simple gesture touched Malcolm to his very soul. Despite all that he'd done, Tucker was still obviously his friend. "I'm so sorry, Trip." 

"It's not your fault, Malcolm. You weren't in your right mind. None of us were." 

"Still, I invaded your privacy shamelessly and I just feel terrible about it." 

"Malcolm..." Trip wanted to find some way, any way to help his shipmate, but while he searched for the right words of comfort the armory officer steamrolled right on. 

"The worst part was the fact that I knew your secret, but you didn't know that I knew. Despite the risk to our continued friendship, I had to tell you the truth. It just wouldn't be proper to remain quiet any longer." 

"I appreciate that, Malcolm, I really do." And Trip did, especially since he had been in a similar situation with T'Pol only a few months earlier. Now he knew exactly what to say. "It took a lot of guts to come here and face me like this and don't you worry yourself none. I'm not mad and the captain won't be either." 

Reed very rarely relaxed in the presence of anyone, but he thought it was more than appropriate to allow Trip to see his very visible relief. "I'm certainly glad to hear that." Now that it was over and Trip was still obviously his friend, Malcolm felt comfortable enough to make an observation. "I must say, you and the captain must be the most discreet couple that I have ever known. I never would have guessed that you two were... well... you know." 

Trip did indeed know. "That's because we aren't. At least not right now, anyway." 

Malcolm immediately misunderstood and assumed the worst. "Oh, Trip. I'm so sorry." 

"Huh?" It took Trip a minute to catch on, but then he hurried to correct Malcolm's mistaken impression. "The Cap'n and I haven't broken up or anythin', Malcolm. It's just that Johnny and I have decided to tone things down for the duration of the mission. For the good of the crew of course." 

"Of course." Malcolm agreed with that almost automatically because most of his conscious mind was still working to process what Trip said. When it finally sank in the armory officer was appalled. "You mean you and the captain haven't..." How to put it? Finally Malcolm decided not to bother and come right out with it. "You know... gotten it on since we've left Earth?" 

"Pretty much." Trip tried to sound firm but he was never really good at telling a fib and the truth of the matter was that he and John had broken that vow a couple of times since Enterprise left space dock. The first was a couple of months ago when the couple had found their resolve challenged after a year of separation and for a moment Trip had actually doubted the intensity of John's love, but then the captain had proven his devotion to Trip in the most delightful way. 

The next time wasn't as delightful, but just as meaningful. Tucker had a hard time of it when John, along with Malcolm, had nearly died when those paranoid aliens had started to hang them as spies. Trip shuddered when he pictured the noose around his lover's neck, and he had major problems dealing with the fact that if they were thirty seconds later, only thirty little seconds, they would have been too late. His Johnny would have been dead and all that they could have rescued would have been his lifeless body. John, of course, always worried more about others, especially Trip, than himself so the engineer wasn't really surprised when the captain entered his cabin that night to find Trip curled up in a tight, traumatic little ball, sobbing his eyes out. Archer gently gathered Tucker up in his arms and the two men spent hours consoling each other and helping each other deal with the enormity of John's near miss and, as it happened, a lot of that consolation occurred while the two were in bed. 

So, since Trip and John had broken their resolve to remain celibate twice in the last two months Tucker wasn't really the superman that Malcolm now thought he was, but there was no reason to inform the armory officer of the truth of the situation right then. It wasn't very often that Trip was the recipient of such a look of respect from his friend, the one man fighting machine, and Tucker was determined to enjoy it for as long as he could. "Don't worry about us, Malcolm. We're doin' all right." 

"Well, I am certainly glad to hear that because if anyone deserves to be happy on this ship it's you two." 

"Thanks a lot, Malcolm." The armory officer's praise warmed Trip clear through. "It's been a long time since I've been able to talk about my relationship with Johnny out loud and you know, it's kinda nice." 

No other words could have pleased Reed more. Not only did it seem that he was going to survive his encounter with Trip, but perhaps his friend was even going to find some sort of benefit from this entire, deplorable situation. "You are free to talk to me at any time Trip, about anything. I promise." 

Trip smiled. "Thanks, Malcolm." 

Malcolm's feeling of self-satisfaction began to fade as a thought struck him. "I only hope that the Captain will feel the same way." 

"Don't you worry about the Cap'n." Trip told him. "He'll take the news just fine." 

Malcolm could only pray that Trip was right.

* * *

Jonathan Archer knew that if there was one thing that he wanted out of life it was to keep his crew happy, and today he had news that would make eighty one humans and one alien (Archer knew better than to add T'Pol to his count) very happy indeed, and it pleased John to no end that the first person that he could share this information with was his favorite person on the ship. So, therefore Archer greeted his friend with great joy when Tucker announced his presence to the captain in his ready room. 

"What's up?" Trip was glad to see that his lover was in such a good mood. He only hoped that Johnny would continue to feel that way after Trip got through updating him on the current situation. 

Fortunately Archer was so wrapped up in his own affairs that he failed to pick up on his lover's pensive mood right away. "I've just found the perfect place for our next shore leave." 

"Really?" That perked Trip up a bit. The concept of shore leave was always welcome. "Where?" 

Archer eagerly waved a star chart under Tucker's nose. "Right here." The captain pointed to a nearby star system. "It's a planet called Ti'Kalla and according to the Vulcan database it's a virtual winter wonderland with skiing, sledding, and skating, not to mention a couple of sports that I've never heard of. The crew is going to have a blast." 

"Sounds perfect.." Ti'Kalla reminded Trip of their vacation in Aspen. It was the last time that Trip and John were able to be together as a couple, not Starfleet officers. They had thoroughly enjoyed themselves while they played around both in the snow and in the bedroom and Trip had shot several photos of the couples activities during that weekend, even the lurid ones. All of the aforementioned pictures were prominently displayed in his scrapbook and Trip was brought back to the matter at hand. "Listen Johnny shore leave sounds great and everythin' but that's not why I came by to see ya." 

Trip's tone made John really look at his companion, and for the first time John noticed the worry swimming in the blue depths of Tucker's eyes. "What's the matter Trip?" 

"Malcolm knows about us, Darlin'." 

"What?" Archer's heart began to spasm when Trip called him by that name. The couple reserved such endearments for only their most personal, and romantic conversations. Archer was "Darlin'" and Trip was "Baby." The fact that Trip referred to him in such an intimate manner meant only one thing, Malcolm knew about their confidential relationship. Still, Archer prayed that his interpretation was wrong, but he didn't hold out much hope even as he asked Trip for clarification. "Just which 'us' are you talking about here, Trip?" 

"The romantic, couple in love, us, Darlin'." Trip saw the dismay quickly fill his lover's eyes and he hastened to fill John in on the entire situation. "Malcolm swears that he won't tell anybody and I believe him Darlin'. He's a man of his word." 

"I know he is, Baby. I trust him with my life and, more importantly yours, it's just that..." Suddenly restless John hopped to his feet and began to pace, hoping that the coordinated movement would help pull his uncoordinated thoughts together. "Malcolm is our subordinate." 

"I know." Trip breathed. "It's an awkward situation all the way around. Especially for Malcolm." 

John didn't have any trouble picturing the armory officer's face when he saw those erotic photos. "Embarrassed the hell out of him, did we?" 

Trip nodded. "You could say that. He's real worried about what you're gonna do about all this." 

John didn't even have to think about that one. "Absolutely nothing is going to happen. Either to Malcolm or between us." 

Trip sighed. He'd just been getting used to having all of Johnny back into his life, and now it seemed that he was designated to be only the captain's friend once more. "I was afraid of that." 

John heard the sadness in his lover's voice and it nearly broke his heart, but he couldn't be weak, not now. "Don't you see, Trip, this is a perfect example of why we can't be together while on board Enterprise. Now Malcolm's going to be even more uncomfortable around me than he is all ready, and I'll bet you that despite the assurances that I'm going to give him, and the ones that I assume that you've all ready given him, he's still going to blame himself for invading our personal life. It's bad for his morale and ours and none of this would have happened if we were able to set a stronger example. From now on we're just going to have to work harder to stay apart, Trip.." 

Trip sighed. "I know, and I agree with you, Darlin', I really do." 

John was glad that Trip was on the same page even though he knew how difficult it was for the engineer to be relegated to just "friendship" status again and John desperately wished that the pain could end there, but he knew that another, more drastic step had to be taken. "Trip, about your scrapbook..." 

A cold, sinking feeling stabbed at Trip's heart. "Johnny, if you're askin' me to destroy my book...." 

"No!" John's forceful denial shocked, but reassured Tucker. "I don't want to destroy your book Trip, those pictures mean just as much to me as they do to you, but I do think we should lock it up in my safe. That way nobody else could stumble across it by accident." 

"I guess that's a good idea." 

John clearly saw that Trip's agreement was less than overwhelming. "Trip?" 

While a part of Trip did think that such measures were probably for the best, still... "Aw, Johnny, it's just that some nights I end up missin' you somethin' fierce and lookin' at my pictures is the only thing that keeps me warm." 

John's sigh matched Tucker's as the captain made sure that his door was locked before gathering his lover up in his arms and holding him tight. "I'm sorry, baby, I really am." John rocked Trip gently, well aware that this may be the last time in a long time that they would be able to indulge themselves this way, but it was for the best, John thought, trying hard to convince himself. It really was. Despite his conviction, John realized that depriving Trip of access to his book was asking a lot. Maybe it was one sacrifice too many.

* * *

Days passed and the ship was a-buzz with joy at the news of the impending shore leave. Malcolm had a double excuse to be happy. Not only did his number come up in lottery so he was going to be part of the first group off of the ship, but he had just come from a nice long chat with the captain who went to great pains to reassure Malcolm that, not only was Archer not angry about what had happened, but he wanted to make sure that Malcolm wasn't harboring any lingering guilt about the incident. In fact, the captain was so persuasive that Malcolm was actually surprised to learn that he was no longer distressed by what he had done. Both the captain and Trip had forgiven him so completely that Malcolm had no choice but to forgive himself, and with that weight now lifted off of his shoulders, Reed was now free to thoroughly enjoy his shore leave. 

Malcolm was so happy that he was actually whistling as he entered the mess hall. His good mood lasted just long enough for his vision to scan the interior of the room (automatic threat assessment) and there, sticking out like a sore thumb in the midst of a group of joyful revelers, was one very unhappy Trip Tucker. Trip sat alone, in a table in the corner, staring moodily out the window as the stars flew by, ignoring the cheerful chatter swirling all around him. 

All thoughts of enjoying his vacation vanished along with his appetite, and with the attentiveness that made Malcolm a really fine armory officer Reed instantly wiped all other thoughts from his mind. Now Malcolm had only one objective, to do what ever he could to help his friend. Reed quickly threaded his way through the tables and within seconds he was sitting at Tucker's side. "Trip." 

"Malcolm." Trip's gaze didn't leave the window as he acknowledged the armory officer's presence and Malcolm didn't think he had ever seen his friend so low. 

"What's the matter, Trip?" 

"Nothin'." Tucker mumbled, keeping his gaze averted. 

Reed didn't even pretend to buy that one. "Oh, come on, Trip. I thought we've established the fact that you can trust me." 

That had the intended effect. Tucker immediately shot Reed a look full of guilt and apology before the engineer turned his gaze downward. However, his intense study of the construction and finish of the table top didn't prevent the engineer from speaking out. "It's just that... well... I won the lottery today." 

"Really?" Reed didn't understand Trip at all. Everyone else who's number was called that morning was positively ecstatic and the envy of all their friends. Who wouldn't be happy to know that you were now guaranteed to have your seat on the shore leave shuttle? Well Trip wasn't, apparently, and Malcolm was determined to find out why. "Trip, you always look forward to any kind of shore leave, so why has the fact that you've won today made you so unhappy?" 

For the first time Trip was really glad that Malcolm found out about him and the captain, otherwise he wouldn't have anyone to talk to, and he desperately wanted to unload right here and now. "It's just that, Ti'Kalla is so much like Aspen and bein' down there, lookin' at all that snow and seein' everybody else havin' fun is gonna to bring back so many memories. Memories that are gonna hurt now, especially since I'm gonna be down there alone." 

Now Trip's statement was ridiculous on the face of it. There were twenty four of Tucker's crewmates who were going to grace the planet with the first wave, so the engineer would hardly claim to be the only human on the planet, but Malcolm didn't have to reach far to discern what Trip really meant. "You mean you're going to be down there without the captain?" 

"Yeah." Trip glanced Malcolm's way and the armory officer could clearly see the pain swimming in the depths of those blue eyes. "The Cap'n's pulled away from me because of what happened..." Malcolm's heart sank when he realized that Trip was referring to the album incident and Reed's guilt returned ten-fold. The armory officer was just about to apologize, again, when Tucker held up his hand. "Like we said, Malcolm, it wasn't your fault, but obviously this shows that it's better for the crew and the mission if we both keep apart, and I agree with him. Still, I wasn't expectin' to come face to face with a reminder of the past quite so quickly. Now I'm gonna have to go down there and pretend that I'm havin' fun when the whole time I'm gonna end up missin' John somethin' fierce. I just know I'm gonna be miserable the whole damn time." 

"If you don't want to go so badly why don't you give your winning number to someone else?" 

"I can't do that." Trip countered, glancing around the room to make sure that they weren't overheard. "You know it would look darn suspicious to the crew if I gave up my chance at shore leave, and I couldn't explain why. No, I'm just gonna have to go down there and make the best of it, but I'm only gonna have fun on the outside and that's a fact." 

Reed felt terrible. He knew he was partly to blame for the current situation, despite protests to the contrary, and Malcolm was a little surprised to find that he was disagreeing with Trip and the captain on the main point. Despite the couple's best efforts, if the captain and commander continued on with this strategy they would only bring about the very situation that they were seeking to avoid. The crew of the Enterprise was a tight knit community and everyone knew all about everyone else's business. All seventy nine humans, one Denobulan, and yes, one Vulcan, cared about the captain and their chief engineer quite deeply and it was only a matter of time before the couple's unhappiness would filter through enough to begin to effect the morale of the others. Somebody had to do something, immediately. Then an idea struck Malcolm and he realized that he was just the man to handle this impossible mission.

* * *

Archer was having a hell of a time trying to make things up to his best friend. Porthos knew darn well that shore leave was imminent. Too many humans were dressed in too many different clothes and were carrying too many different bags to mean anything else. The only problem was that all of these humans were heading for the launch bay which contained the machine that would take them to a fun place. Every human except his own, that was. His human was walking in the opposite direction, which meant that they were going to miss out on the aforementioned shore leave and Porthos didn't like it. Not one bit. John knew that he didn't and was debating about mollifying the pup's anger with a ration of usually banned cheese when Malcolm Reed scurried up to join them. 

"Sir, do you have a moment?" 

Archer checked his watch. "Aren't you supposed to be in the launch bay, Lieutenant? You don't want to miss your ride." 

"I know, sir, and I am aware of the time, but an important situation has just arose and I feel that we must deal with it immediately." 

"Oh?" Archer immediately became concerned. While John thought that Reed had a tendency to be a little overprotective when it came to security matters aboard Enterprise, he had been right often enough to make Archer want to listen very carefully to anything the armory officer had to say. "What's the matter, Malcolm?" 

"Well, sir, I just learned that you're not coming down to the planet with us, is that correct?" 

"Yes, that's right." Archer was a little puzzled, wondering why that had gotten his armory officer on full alert. "I thought I'd take advantage of the quiet aboard ship and catch up on my reading." 

"Well, forgive me, sir, but do you really think that's wise?" 

"Pardon me?" While Archer was pleased that Reed felt comfortable enough to question him, despite the incident with the album, the captain was used to dealing with Reed's doubts about his command style, but he wasn't expecting criticism of his vacation choices. 

Seeing that Archer thought that Reed might have stepped a tad over the line, Malcolm hurried on. "Well considering the recommendation in the Vulcan database, sir, I expected you to be first off of the ship." 

Archer was blank. "What recommendation?" The captain had thought that he read the entire passage on Ti'Kalla in the database very carefully and he didn't recall anything out of the ordinary. "What are you talking about Lieutenant?" 

"This sir." Malcolm handed his captain a padd. "I noticed this little paragraph while I was reading up on the Ti'Kalla's. It's the last entry in the database and I have to admit sir that I almost missed it." 

Archer's eyes widened when he started to read. "What the hell?" The paragraph clearly stated that the Ti'Kalla's were expecting the leader of any visitors to pay his or her complements to them. If this was not done the Ti'Kalla's would take great offence. Since this was a first contact in the making Archer could be facing disaster if he messed up on protocol first time out. "I can't believe that I missed this." 

It wasn't as if the captain had a choice, Malcolm knew. Archer couldn't have read the passage before, because it hadn't existed until a half an hour ago when Malcolm had written it. "It was an oblique reference, sir." 

"It will be an diplomatic disaster if I don't show up and that sure would ruin everybody's shore leave. I have to go." Archer conceded. "Still, I hate the idea of booting somebody out of the shuttle just to make room for me." 

Reed had thought of that as well. "I ran the shuttlepod's maximum hauling limit and compared it to our crew's projected weight load and I found that there is enough margin to add you to the trip without removing anyone else from the shuttle. There may even be a little more margin." Reed said pointedly while glancing downward. 

Archer got the blatant message before coming to the obvious conclusion. Sighing, John squatted down to rub his pet's velvet ears. "Well buddy, it looks like you get to take some shore leave after all." 

Portho's cheerful bark was a sharp contrast to Archer's unhappy expression. Reed suspected that the source of Archer's melancholy was the same as Trip's, but Malcolm didn't feel bad either for his captain or his friend. Reed knew that things would pick up for the couple soon enough.

* * *

Of course the local representative who greeted them upon their arrival, a fellow by the name of Zalatan, didn't seem all that impressed with the fact that Archer was leading the group, but their arrival was ceremonial enough to satisfy the captain that his first contact was secure. Then John was able to relax a little as the rest of his crew scattered to start to enjoy their shore leave. 

Across the lobby, Reed was studying his captain carefully. The man was doing a good job of hiding his misery from the rest of his people, but Malcolm knew better. He was watching when Archer first saw that Trip had entered the room. Malcolm watched as the captain hesitated, then apparently gave into the compulsion to greet his friend and secret lover. Malcolm saw that, while standing next to Tucker and engaging in an innocent conversation, Archer discretely ran his finger up the back of Trip's hand. Then they exchanged one more agonizing look before the couple separated, heading for rooms at opposite ends of the hotel. Reed allowed himself a small smile before going to seek out Zalatan. It was time to put his plan into action.

* * *

There was no doubt about it, John had never had a more miserable time of his life. If he had his way Archer would have never left his room, or better yet, gone back aboard Enterprise, but he was down here now and therefore stuck. As captain he always had to set an example for the others and today's example was for everybody to have fun, including him. 

Some fun. Everywhere John looked he saw his lover. He saw Trip skating with Hoshi or skiing with Rostov or building a snowman with Travis. That snowman especially tugged at Archer's heartstrings. He and Trip had such fun building theirs in Aspen. They had spent the entire day on it, getting coated with snow in the process and had a grand time warming each other up in the hotel room afterwards, but on this trip John wasn't able to share such joys with his lover. Archer had to keep his distance and it was killing him. In an frantic attempt to escape, even if it was just shifting the view, Enterprise's captain tilted his gaze upward desperate to look at something else, anything else. Unfortunately the first thing he laid eyes on was a romantic couple walking hand in hand through the snow. Vivid memories of a similar experience, only with Trip snuggled up against him assailed John's mind and the captain instantly decided that he has had enough. Roll model or no, Archer wasn't going to endure this torment any longer. 

John started to hunt down Zalatan in order to arrange for transport home, but the Ti'Kallaian official found him first. "Ah, Captain Archer, I am so glad that I was finally able to locate you. I have been searching for over an hour." 

"Why?" The official seemed less than thrilled by his arrival the day before, so why was he so anxious to find Archer now? 

If Zalatan noticed Archer's discomfort he gave no sign of it, but breezed right along. "I apologize for yesterday Captain. I'm afraid that I was a little under the weather and was unable to welcome you properly. That is an error that I would like to rectify now if I could." 

John had thought that the reception that he got from the Ti'Kallaian was a little odd, even so he just put it down to cross-cultural differences, but maybe he was wrong. Still, he didn't want Zalatan to go on feeling bad about the incident. "You don't have to do anything, Zalatan, yesterday's greeting was just fine." 

"No, captain. Amends must be made immediately." Zalatan held up his hand when he saw that Archer was going to protest. "I insist. Ti'Kallaian honor is at stake." 

Well, the captain certainly couldn't argue with that, so Archer said nothing further but simply allowed the Ti'Kallaian official to lead him through a maze of small tunnels until the pair finally reached a platform that was home to a subway train. 

John finally decided to speak up when Zalatan indicated that he wanted Archer to enter the car. "Zalatan, what is all this?" 

"Not to worry, Captain, a royal welcome is waiting for you at one of our nearby chalets. I'm quite sure that you will thoroughly enjoy the experience." 

"I'm sure that I will." Now Archer was no fool, he knew darn well that something was up but he was also convinced that whatever was going on, it wasn't dangerous. Still, John was glad he had his communicator with him, just in case. "Okay, Zalatan, it's your party." 

Pleased Zalatan led the way into the car.

* * *

Much to his surprise Archer traveled alone. The ceremony, or whatever event he was bound for was, apparently, going to happen at the other end. With nothing to do at the moment John made himself comfortable and within fifteen minutes Enterprise's captain arrived at his destination. 

Odd, Archer thought. As he stepped out onto a subway platform he found that it appeared to be totally abandoned. Not only was there no welcoming party, but there was no one period. John kept his fingers wrapped around his communicator and with enough caution and stealth to make Malcolm proud, the captain warily made his way outside. 

As soon as he cleared the door John forgot all about welcoming ceremonies and suspicions the absolute second that he caught sight of all of the magnificent scenery that was displayed before him. Archer had never seen such a beautiful winter scene before and he had been to all the famous snow resorts on Earth. At that moment John had set forth into a valley that was surrounded on all sides by mountains. Snow glistened on every surface it touched, and the air temperature was just at that right frosty "crispness" that made winter fun without freezing you to death. All in all it was perfect. Or it would have been if he wasn't alone. 

John felt a longing for Trip that was so sudden and so deep that it was almost impossible for him to bear. This place was too much like Aspen and the memories were overwhelming. God, John could even swear he could hear the sound of sleigh bells. His mental images were much more vivid and real than he could have ever imagined. 

Another five seconds went by and when the sounds got louder, not softer John realized that he wasn't imaging things. He had really heard bells ringing, bells being worn by a horse who just came into view while pulling a sleigh. Well, it wasn't exactly a horse, but it was close enough. Archer was amazed when the animal stopped right in front of him because no one was in the sleigh to guide it's way. Perhaps the horse was trained to travel a regular route. John thought that must be the answer and realized that his location must have been a familiar stopping place for the animal. Still, that didn't answer the mystery of what he was doing standing in front of an abandoned sleigh. 

"I'm getting the feelin' that we've been set up here." A familiar drawl floated up from behind him and within seconds Trip Tucker was by his side. 

It was only due to years of rigorous training that Archer was able to retain his decorum, therefore the captain was successful in keeping his jaw from hanging like a broken hinge at the shock or otherwise making a total ass of himself, but the last thing he expected to see today was his lover. "How did you get here, Trip?" 

"Subway, like you, at the invitation of Zalatan and company, but I was expectin' some sorta welcomin' ceremony here. Not just you and me alone with a horse and sleigh of all things." 

"Well that's no coincidence." Of that John was sure. Ever the vigilant captain, John edged forward to inspect the sleigh. In addition to the bells he found a woolen blanket, a bottle of champagne and two glasses along with a standard Starfleet issue padd. The suspicion that nudged it's way into mind the moment that Trip arrived, crystallized into certainty when he saw that. "There's only one person on this planet who knows what a sleigh means to us." John said as he held up the padd for Trip to see and the second he did, Trip knew the truth too. 

"Malcolm." 

John nodded. "Malcolm." Malcolm Reed had seen the picture of John and Trip in their sleigh at Aspen. Trip had one in his scrapbook so Reed could have set this up. "But let's find out for sure." 

John pressed a button on the padd and Malcolm's face appeared on the screen. "Captain, Commander." Reed's tinny voice came out of the small speaker. "I know that you're surprised by all this but I had to make up for my mistake once again. I know..." Reed held up a hand to forestall the objections that he couldn't hear, but that Trip and John were about to make anyway. "... it's not my fault. I was under the influence of hazardous radiation when I invaded your privacy, and all of that is true enough, but the fact of the matter is that as a result of my actions the two of you are forced to stay farther apart from one another than ever before, and that is a situation that I can not allow to continue." 

John found his mouth opening to speak, ready to argue with a... well, a recording. Realizing just how stupid that was, John shut up and let Reed ramble on. "And by the way..." The armory officer continued. "I disagree with your theory that the ship would be better off if the two of you stayed apart. Every member of this crew loves you Captain." Funny, it seemed as if Malcolm was looking directly into Archer's soul, even if he was just a recording. Trip felt the same way when Malcolm addressed him. "And you too, Commander. All we want is for the two of you to find happiness, either at your respective posts on Enterprise or in each other's arms. The mechanics are immaterial, your joy is not. You've always told me that a captain leads by example." Malcolm pointed out. "Well it seems to me that if you and the commander were together then you would experience a joy and contentment that most of us have never known and therefore, by your example, the crew would have no choice but to be happy and content as well. It is... oh how do you North American's say it..." Malcolm thought for a second before coming up with the right phrase. "...a win, win." 

Malcolm's words just hung, heavy in the air. Could he really be right? Could they have their cake and eat it too? Then a sigh drew their attention back to the padd. "Well, whether you'll allow yourselves to be happy in the future is not the most pressing issue of the moment, the point of all this..." Malcolm gestured vaguely behind him to where he knew the sleigh must be. "... is for the two of you to be happy today, so I've arranged for you to have exclusive use of this sleigh for as long as you like and there is a room booked in the hotel across the street for tonight, although I can't imagine what you would do in there." Trip heard a definite snicker in the armory officer's tone. Malcolm's little joke. "Oh and don't worry about being seen by the crew, I've made sure that you both are miles away from any of the rest of us. You can enjoy yourselves without fear of repercussions. Please..." Malcolm seemed to be pleading now. "Do have the most wonderful time today. It really is the only thing that will make me feel better about this whole incident and I hope the two of you will feel better too. Take care. Reed out." 

Trip and John stared at each other dumbly as the screen went dark. Neither knew quite what to say, so there was silence for a minute while the men struggled to deal with the situation that Malcolm had just handed them. The hope he had just handed them. Would the crew really accept the idea of them as a couple, Trip wondered. Tucker absolutely adored being on Enterprise and practically every day he got to see something new, something that he never imagined that he'd see. Still Trip was missing a part of his life that all the wonders of the universe and Enterprise put together couldn't replace. John. It was hard to stay apart from the man that he so desperately loved, harder than he'd ever imagined before leaving Earth. Trip was willing to make that sacrifice, pay that price, for the good of Enterprise's mission and her crew, but did he really have to suffer so much? Was Malcolm right? Could he really have his John and Enterprise too? Tucker glanced at his partner and could see that Archer was thinking along similar lines but any change in their relationship would have to come from John. He was the captain. Enterprise and her crew was his responsibility and whatever he decided, Trip would go along with it. 

John too was wrestling with the concept, but ever the pragmatist he knew that issue was too important to be taken lightly and would need a lot more serious thought and consideration than he had time for at that moment, so John decided to table the big issue for the time being and just have some fun. "Well, Trip, Malcolm sure went to a lot of trouble for us and we don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak, so why don't we go for a ride?" 

Trip lit up like a Christmas tree and didn't have to be told twice. He was moving before John even finished talking. Chances like this didn't come up every day and there was no way that Trip was going to waste it. 

While John may have laughed at Trip's enthusiasm, the captain was no slouch himself in the speed department and was sitting at Tucker's side within seconds. Instantly, Archer wrapped Trip up in his arms and as soon as the couple settled down together under the blanket the horse started to move. As John suspected the animal must have been trained to travel a certain route because the horse seemed to have no problem navigating on it's own. That freed the couple up from all responsibility so they were now able to totally enjoy the ride. 

Sighing in total contentment Trip admired the view of the beautiful snow capped mountains that were all around him, then he tilted his gaze to his left and saw something even more breathtaking. The beautiful face of his lover. Trip licked his lips, knowing what reaction that action would evoke and he wasn't disappointed. John immediately swooped in for a kiss and several minutes spent in this pleasurable activity the couple broke apart and Trip settled back, not only to enjoy this ride, but the one that he was hoping to have later at the hotel. At this moment Trip Tucker was a happy man.

* * *

The next morning found a tired, but happy group of crew gathered at the rendezvous point. Shore leave was over and it was time to go back to work, but everyone was revitalized and invigorated and ready to begin Enterprise's mission of exploration once again. There was one stand out among all the revelry. Malcolm was far too nervous to join in with the general gaiety. How would the captain and commander have reacted to his gesture? Would they have understood the meaning behind his gesture or did he only make things worse? 

Reed didn't have long to wait. His heart sank because when the captain and commander entered they looked far from happy. His efforts must have been a dismal failure. This seemed confirmed when the captain ordered Reed to join them, his voice tight and controlled, as if the captain could barely contain his anger. Reed stiffened his resolve and crossed the room with all the dignity he could muster. Prepared to face the consequences of his actions. 

"Mr. Reed." Archer said, his tone all stiff and formal. 

"Sir?" 

"Lieutenant, I want to tell you what I think about your actions yesterday but I can't quite find the words." Archer's tone was still severe and Malcolm knew he was in big trouble when Trip put his hand on the captain's shoulder to calm him and spoke with the same seriousness in his voice. 

"Let me, Cap'n." Archer shrugged and stepped back a pace. Trip then turned to Malcolm who was taken aback by the ferocity in Tucker's eyes, then was shocked when the ferocity melted away to be replaced by a shining joy. Trip smiled and took Malcolm's hand. "Mere words would never be enough to thank you, Malcolm or to tell you how much you mean to us, so we have come up with another way. John?" 

At Trip's nod John hauled Tucker's camera out of his pocket and called to Hoshi who was standing only a few feet away. "Do me a favor, Ensign and take a picture of the three of us, would you?" 

"Of course, sir." Hoshi eagerly took the camera. "I'd be happy to." 

As Trip and John maneuvered Malcolm into position, sandwiched between them, Tucker explained. "As you know, Malcolm, my scrapbook holds mementos from the most important events of my life, that's why I really want this picture so I can put it on the first page of my book, right along with photos of the rest of the people I love, my family and my friends. Do you understand?" 

"Oh yes, sir." Trip was telling him that not only did they appreciate what Malcolm had done for them here on Ti'Kalla, but that Malcolm had just been elevated from friendship in their eyes. They now considered Malcolm to be a part of their family and that magnificent gesture brought a lump to Malcolm's throat, but did nothing to dampen his smile as the shutter went off. Malcolm knew that they all would treasure this image of the three of them forever and as the shutter clicked for the insurance copy he realized that he had solved his problem quite nicely after all.


End file.
